Method for gaming with improved betting and distribution of winnings

ABSTRACT

A wagering method applicable to games, such as poker, that include multiple rounds of wagering. Players who participate in an early round of wagering share in a portion of the pot that has accumulated after a subsequent, preferably final, round of wagering. Thus, in a poker game according to the present invention, players who fold after having wagered in the early round of betting can potentially win more than they have bet in the hand, despite having folded. The method is suitable for live play, such as in a casino, and for play supported by computers connected via a communication system such as the Internet.

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/781,341, filed Mar. 13, 2006

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is of a method and system for gaming. More specifically, the method and system of the present invention introduce a significant variation of the betting system used in various types of games, especially card games. This variation is particularly concerned with the distribution of winnings among players, and with encouraging players to wager by maintaining the interest of players even after they have folded their hands. In a poker game according to the present invention players who fold after having wagered in an early round of betting can potentially win more than they bet, despite having folded. The present invention is applicable to games wherein the participants are in close physical proximity, as in a casino, and is also applicable to games wherein the participants are geographically dispersed, with the game facilitated by communication systems such as computers and the Internet.

Poker Games

Poker games, especially via the Internet, are becoming very popular. A poker game which is very common is a multi-player game, in which every player is playing against other players at the same table. In such games the house (the hosting site) collects a fee, known as a “rake”, from the pot accumulated during each hand.

Two popular multi-player poker games are known as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, respectively. In these games there are several players (typically limited to some maximum number, such as nine players or ten players) around a table who play against each other. In such games there is typically a betting limit, such as:

Limit—in which the amount each player is permitted to bet when it is the turn of that player to bet is limited to a predetermined sum, or

Pot limit—in which the amount each player is permitted to bet when it is the turn of that player to bet is limited to the sum which has been accumulated in the pot.

Alternatively, there may be no limit, in which case the amount each player is permitted to bet when it is the turn of that player to bet is limited only by the money which that player has at the table.

According to a prior-art implementation of such a game the respective players play each against the other and bet according to respective private cards, known as “hole” cards, that each respective player is dealt and which only that respective player can see (each respective player is dealt two hole cards in the Texas Hold'em game and four hole cards in the Omaha game) in a betting round known as the “pre-flop” round.

The dealing of hole cards and the betting proceed to the left, starting from the player to the left of a marker known as the dealer button, or, more simply, the button, which is moved one player to the left after each hand. In this pre-flop round the first player to the left of the dealer button must place a bet known as the small blind, and the second player to the left of the dealer button must place a larger bet known as the big blind. Players who have just joined the game must also place a bet equal to the big blind. If there are fewer than a pre-determined number of players at the table, only a single blind bet may be required. Players must at least call these bets to remain in the hand. A player who does not call these bets is said to have folded.

After this pre-flop betting round the players bet according to additional, open, cards which are common to all the players and called “community” cards, with a total of 5 community cards being dealt in further rounds known as:

The flop (3 community cards dealt)

The turn (1 additional community card dealt)

The river (1 final community card dealt)

These stages are each accompanied by further betting. The object of the game is for each respective player to combine five cards from among the cards dealt to that player (two hole cards plus five community cards, for a total of seven cards, in the case of Texas Hold'em, or four hole cards plus five community cards, for a total of nine cards, in the case of Omaha) into the highest-ranking poker hand possible for those cards.

In betting rounds after the pre-flop round players have the option to “check” if there have not yet been any bets during that round. A player who has checked remains in the hand without betting any more money. If no other player bets during that round (i.e., all other players remaining in that hand also check) play proceeds to the drawing of one or more community cards for the next round, or, in the case of the river, to the showdown, wherein the hole cards are displayed and the winner determined accordingly. If there is any betting in a round, then all players who checked must call those bets in order to remain in the hand.

According to prior-art systems, unless one or more players has bet “all-in”, as described below, a player wins the whole pot if that player has the highest-ranking five-card poker hand among those players remaining in the betting or when that player bets in one of the betting rounds and none of the other players calls the bet of that player.

If, during a round of betting, a player is unable to call a bet because that player does not have sufficient money at the table, the player can go all-in, meaning that the player bets the remainder of the money that player has at the table and can only win according to the amount that player has bet. For example, if there are three players remaining in a hand, and $150 had accumulated in the pot before a new community card is dealt, and a first player has bet $50 after the dealing of the new community card, a second player having only $20 remaining at the table can go all-in by betting the $20. The third player can then call the bet for $50. If, at the showdown, the second player has the best hand and another player has the next-best hand, the second player receives $210, less the rake, and that other player receives $60, less the rake.

In the above-described prior-art games, a player who has folded loses any wagers that player has made up until that player has folded, and does not participate, and has no financial interest, in the continued play of the hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,011 describes a poker game wherein players other than those holding the winning hands may receive a share of the pot. However, the game taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,011 only provides such a share to players who have participated in all of the wagering rounds of the hand. This does not maintain the interest of players who have folded in earlier rounds, and gives little incentive to wager to players who do not feel confident enough in their hole cards to commit to participating in all of the rounds of betting for the hand. Furthermore, in the game taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,011, players not holding the winning hand only receive a payout if the hand of that player exceeds a pre-determined poker rank or if the winning hand and the second-place hand are both beyond another pre-determined poker rank. In the game taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,011 the payouts to players not holding the winning hand are not related to the wagering in the later rounds, but rather are related to wagers made before the dealing of the hole cards.

There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a wagering system for games having multiple rounds of betting that maintains the interest of players who participate in an early round of betting but do not participate in all of the rounds of betting in a particular hand. Preferably, such a wagering system would provide an incentive to inexperienced players to participate in at least an early round of betting. Preferably, such participation in an early round of betting would provide an incentive to players to participate in subsequent rounds of betting. Preferably, the payouts to players who participate in the early round are not restricted by the poker rank of hands held by any of the players. Preferably, the payouts to players who participate in the early round are related to the wagers made is during subsequent rounds of wagering, even for those players who do not participate in those subsequent rounds of wagering. Preferably, the possibility exists for a player to receive a payout for a particular hand greater than the amount wagered by that player in that hand, despite that player having folded before the showdown.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “table stakes” refers to the amount of money that a player has at the table.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a gaming method including the steps of: (a) players engaging in an early round of wagering in which the players optionally post wagers to a pot; (b) those players who have posted the wagers to the pot during the early round engaging in a subsequent round of wagering in which those players who have posted the wagers to the pot during the early round optionally post further wagers to the pot, and (c) distributing a pre-determined portion of the pot to at least one player who wagered during the early round.

Preferably in the method the wagering takes place in the context of a poker game.

Preferably in the method the poker game is selected from the group consisting of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Badugi, Draw Poker and Stud Poker.

Preferably in the method play is on a playing surface including a plurality of player spaces, each respective player space including a respective table stakes space operative to hold table stakes of a corresponding player.

Preferably in the method the surface further includes at least one community card space operative to hold at least one community card.

Preferably in the method the early round of wagering follows dealing of at least one hole card to each player.

Preferably in the method at least one player is required to post a blind wager.

Preferably the method further includes the step of: (d) displaying a share of the pre-determined portion to be distributed to a player.

Preferably in the method the distributing is equally to all those players who wagered during the early round.

Alternatively in the method the distributing is equally to all those players who wagered during the early round except for a player who holds a winning hand.

Preferably in the method the pre-determined portion only includes a portion of called wagers.

Preferably in the method the distributing of the pre-determined portion is only to those players who wagered in the early round and did not fold in the early round.

Preferably in the method the pre-determined portion is at least one fiftieth of the pot and no more than one third of the pot.

Preferably in the method an all-in wager must be of at least a pre-determined minimum value.

Preferably in the method the pre-determined portion is determined by a house.

Alternatively in the method the pre-determined portion is determined by agreement among the players.

Optionally in the method the pre-determined portion includes a plurality of respective pre-determined subportions, each respective pre-determined subportion being associated with a corresponding early round of wagering, and wherein each respective pre-determined subportion is distributed to at least one player who wagered during the corresponding early round.

Optionally in the method play is supported by a plurality of computers communicating via a network.

According to the present invention there is also provided a machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, the execution of the machine executable instructions implementing a gaming method, the method comprising the steps of: (a) players engaging in an early round of wagering in which the players optionally post wagers to a pot; (b) the players who have posted wagers to the pot during the early round engaging in a subsequent round of wagering in which those players who have posted wagers to the pot during the early round optionally post further wagers to the pot, and (c) distributing a pre-determined portion of the pot to at least one player who wagered during the early round.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an example of a playing surface for a game according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates schematically an example of a computer display for a game according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system operative to implement the method of the present invention including a computer and a storage medium containing instructions operative to control the operation of the system;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of several computers and a server connected via a network and operative to support a game according to the present invention

FIGS. 5-16 show user displays for various stages of example games according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a method and system for gaming, and more specifically to method and system for playing a card game wherein more than one player can win a portion of the pot for a hand without having to take active part in all of the betting rounds for that hand.

The method and system of the present invention also applies to other games of chance that involve multiple rounds of betting, and to betting on sequences of sporting events, and such applications are within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is based upon the above-described prior-art poker game but the betting scheme of the present invention differs from the betting scheme of the prior-art poker game, particularly with regard to the distribution of the pot.

In a poker game according to the present invention each player can share in the pot for a hand even if that player did not take active part in all of the rounds of betting for that hand. Moreover, it is possible, under some circumstances, for a player to win an amount exceeding that player's total betting in the hand, despite that player not being the winner of the hand.

After distribution of the “closed” cards (known as the “hole” cards) in the pre-flop round, every player, except the player who has wagered “the Big Blind”, can either equal the amount, i.e., “call”, or leave the game (“fold”), or raise the bet.

According to the present invention, when a player has made the CALL (after any raises from other players) and put the required amount in the POT, during the pre flop round, that player becomes a stakeholder, or partner, in a pre-determined portion of the POT, the pre-determined portion being determined by the hosting organization (“house”) or, alternatively, by agreement among the players themselves. From this moment even if a certain player does not continue to bet within the FLOP and the further rounds, that player will share part of the pot according to the pre-determined portion, together with all the players who put their bets in the pre-flop round, including the main winner. This portion will be taken from the POT and will be paid to those players as aforesaid.

Alternatively, a player who makes any bet at all during a particular round of betting is deemed to have participated in that round, insofar as eligibility to participate in the pre-determined portion of the pot is concerned, even if that player did not call a subsequent raise.

Optionally, a player who bets all-in is considered to have participated in a round of betting insofar as eligibility to participate in the pre-determined portion of the pot is concerned.

It is common for house rules to not allow players to increase their table stakes during a hand, or to remove money from the table while playing. Because the method of the present invention awards a sum even to players who do not hold winning cards, a situation can develop wherein a player has only a very small sum at the table, and goes all-in on each hand with diminishing table stakes and is thus not bankrupted until the sum awarded to the player is so small that it is rounded to zero. As this situation can be annoying to other players, and is not very profitable for the house, it can be dealt with in several ways:

-   -   (a) Optionally, a player who does not cover the bet, even if         that player goes all-in, does not participate in the         pre-determined portion of the pot.     -   (b) Optionally, a player who bets all-in participates in the         pre-determined portion of the pot only in proportion to the         fraction of the bet covered by the all-in sum.     -   (c) Optionally, going all-in can be restricted to require at         least a pre-determined minimum bet.

The method of the present invention encourages every player to bet in any case, even if that player's hole cards are not of particularly high rank, and not “run” from the game (“fold”) from the beginning of the bets because that player can still win a portion of the pot just by participating in the pre flop round.

An additional option is to share additional pre-determined portions of the POT according to participation in betting in subsequent betting rounds, such as the FLOP, the TURN and the RIVER. This option can encourage participation in the later rounds of wagering by players who feel that the combination of their hole cards and the community cards is marginal.

The method of the present invention serves the following purposes:

Increase of profits: Every player who “dared”, even despite having “bad cards”, and participated in the pre flop round, can win a sum which in some cases will be higher than the sum he put in the pot. For instance: if the group sharing is 10% of the pot and 4 players have bet in the pre-flop round, and every one of them had put 1 Dollar, and the pot has subsequently accumulated $100.00, after the rake, during the various betting rounds (a matter which is common in No-limit games), every player who bet in the pre-flop round will receive from the pre-determined portion $2.50. Thus, there is $1.50 profit for each of those players who did not bet in subsequent rounds.

Diminishment of losses: Every player who “dared”, even despite having “bad cards”, and has participated in the pre flop round, can receive back as aforesaid part of their money.

The present invention increases the excitement for players by allowing some degree of participation in the complete hand without risking large amounts of money, because players who have folded can still watch their profits grow automatically in each round while sitting on the sidelines for the remainder of the hand.

Furthermore, the present invention can benefit the winner of a hand by encouraging other players to post wagers.

Similarly, the house can benefit from an increase of the rake due to an increased number wagers.

The method of the present invention shifts the poker game from being a personal winning system towards a system that combines personal winning with group winning, and thus encourages players to become more active during the whole game. This can be useful, for example, in attracting less-experienced players to the game.

Optionally, the group sharing portion will be connected only to the money which was accumulated during the betting rounds and being equalized (called) by all still-participating players. For example, if a player bet $50 in one of the rounds after the pre-flop round, and no other player called that bet, that player will take the $50 bet back and the group sharing portion will be associated only with the money which was accumulated in the pot before the uncalled bet.

An additional option is for the winner of the hand to be excluded from the distribution of the pre-determined portion of the pot. For example, if the pot is $100 after the rake, the pre-determined portion is 10%, and five players (including the winner) participated in the pre-flop betting, the winner receives $90, rather than $92, and each of the other players who had participated in the pre-flop betting receives $2.50, rather than $2.00.

Optionally, players are presented with a running display indicating how much is one player's share of the pre-determined portion of the pot according to current wagering. For example, if the pre-determined portion is 10%, and five players have, by betting in the pre-flop round, qualified for a share of the pre-determined portion of the pot, and the pot is currently $100.00 after the rake, the display would indicate $2.00. This increases the feeling of connection players have with the betting, increasing their interest and excitement. Such a display is particularly cost-effective in on-line and other computer-supported games, where the additional cost of providing such a display is marginal. A legend associated with such a display can be manipulated so as to reflect the current situation of a player. For example, if the share of the pre-determined portion of the pot is less than the amount the player has currently wagered on the hand, the legend can read, “You save”, while, if the share of the pre-determined portion of the pot is greater than the amount the player has currently wagered on the hand, the legend can read, “You win”, and the display would indicate the difference between the share of the pre-determined portion of the pot and the amount the player has wagered. Alternatively, the legend “You win” can be used along with a display of the pre-determined portion, with the understanding that the amount displayed is a gross figure rather than net. Optionally, such a display is also made visible to players who have not qualified to share in the pre-determined portion of the pot, as an inducement to those players to try to qualify for a share in the pre-determined portion of the pot in subsequent hands. Optionally, such a display can be accompanied by other visual stimuli, such as a running display of random numbers, to increase the excitement felt by players.

Although live play of a game according to the present invention can take place on any suitable surface, it is preferable that the game be played on a surface such as that depicted, by way of example only, in FIG. 1. This is particularly important in casinos, where an attractive playing surface serves to draw players, and also aids in keeping the game organized so as to discourage cheating and ease security surveillance. The example playing surface of FIG. 1 includes the following features:

(a) spaces 20 a-i for each player's table stakes;

(b) spaces 22 a-i for each player's bets;

(c) spaces 24 a-i to receive each player's hole cards;

(d) spaces 26 a-c to receive community cards;

(e) a space 28 to receive the pot;

(f) a position 30 near which the dealer is stationed, and

(g) a dealer button 32 operative to indicate which of player positions a through i is the nominal dealer position for a particular hand.

Although variations are possible, and within the scope of the present invention, it is preferable that dealing of hole cards begins with the player to the left of dealer button 32 and proceeds to the left. The player to the right of dealer button 32 is designated as the nominal “dealer” for that hand, in that this player receives hole cards last, but actual dealing of cards is generally done by a dealer who is an employee of the house, and who does not participate as a player. Dealer button 32 is moved one player to the left after each hand.

As the playing surface of FIG. 1 is merely an example, playing surfaces lacking some of the features of FIG. 1, or having features not included in FIG. 1, or having a different arrangement from that of FIG. 1 are included within the scope of the present invention.

An example display for a player of an Internet version of the game of the present invention is depicted, by way of example only, in FIG. 2. This example display is similar in form to the surface of FIG. 1, giving Internet players a feeling much like being in an actual casino. The positioning and orientation of some of the features of the Internet display of FIG. 2 have been altered relative to the corresponding features of the surface of FIG. 1 so as to make those features easier for the player to view. The example playing surface of FIG. 1 includes the following features:

(a) spaces 20 a-i for display of each player's table stakes;

(b) spaces 22 a-i for display of each player's bets;

(c) spaces 24 a-i to display of each player's hole cards (hole cards of opposing players are only displayed at the showdown);

(d) spaces 26 a-c to display community cards;

(e) a space 28 to display the pot after the rake;

(f) an optional sharing box 34, and

(g) a dealer button 32 operative to indicate which of player positions a through i is the nominal dealer position for a particular hand.

Sharing box 34 includes a share space 36 operative to provide a running display of the shared portion of the pot the user will get at the end of the hand, a legend space 38 operative to clarify the meaning of the value displayed in share space 36, and, optionally, a space 40 operative to display text, numbers or images to increase the interest and excitement of the player. An example of such a display is a running display of random numbers.

Preferably, sharing box 34 is only displayed when there is a non-zero sharing amount, such as after the completion of the pre-flop betting round.

Optionally, sharing box 34 is displayed to players who folded too early to qualify for sharing to show them how much their share would have been had they not folded too early, along with an appropriate legend in legend space 38.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention only players who have completed a pre-determined early round of betting qualify for participation in the pre-determined portion of the pot. A player is herein said to have completed a round of betting if that player has placed a bet, such as a blind, call or raise, that has not been subsequently raised by another player.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention all players who have bet in a pre-determined early round of betting qualify for participation in the pre-determined portion of the pot, even though they may not have completed the round of betting.

The following examples contrast games played according to prior art methods with games played according to the method of the present invention, and are in no way to be considered limiting:

The game is holdem $1/$2 no limit (nl) and there are 8 players for example on the table.

The “hand” starts when the player from the left of the dealer button puts small blind of 1$, and the next player sitting in the left put the big blind of 2$, if there is no new player in this hand (a new player has to equal the big blind in order to get the hole cards) the hand starts.

the players will be players no1 (sitting in the seat to the left of the dealer button) to no8 (at the dealer button).

the hand starts where all the players in the table get the 2 hole cards (only they can see them), and now the pre flop round starts.

the hole cards that were dealt

player no1 A,2 suited harts

player no2 5,7 unsuited

player no3 10,J unsuited

player no4 K,8 unsuited

player no5 Q,K suited diamonds

player no6 A,A

player no7 7,3 unsuited

player no8 2,J suited

prior-art system:

pl. no3 which is now have to act (seats in the left of the big blind) has nice cards and will make the call of 2$

pl. no4 will also make the call

pl. no5 has good cards and make the call

pl. no6 has the best cards and raise the bet to 6$

pl. no7 will fold

pl. no8 will fold

pl. no1 will call (has good cards)

pl. no2 will fold

pl. no3 will fold

pl. no4 will fold

pl. no5 has good cards and make the call

now there is in the pot 24$ with 3 players, the flop is K,J,2

pl. no1 will check

pl. no5 will bet 10$ (a pair of K's)

pl. no6 raise to 20$ (best cards in the meantime)

pl. no1 is an optimistic guy and call the bet

pl. no5 will call the bet

now there is in the pot 84$ with 3 players, the turn is another 2

pl. no1 which has 3 of a kind (2) will bet 40$

pl. no5 and 6 will make the call.

now there is in the pot 204$ with 3 players, the river is A

pl. no1 which now has full house (2,2,2,A,A) will bet 80$

pl. no5 will fold

pl. no6 which has the best full house with 3 aces will raise 100$ (all in for example)

pl. no1 will make the call

now there is in the pot 564$ (180+180+204) and pl. no6 will take the pot.

In a game according to the present invention, with, for example, 10% sharing, the game of the previous example would have a different outcome, as seen in the following example:

now, in the pre flop round, after pl. no6 bet 6$ (pl. 3, 4, 5 already called the big blind as in the ordinary system):

pl. no7 fold

pl. no8 call (because he has suited cards and want to see the flop and also want to get the pot share)

pl. no1 call (as in the ordinary system)

pl. no2 fold

pl. no 3, 4 now will call (because they do not have “bad” cards)

pl. no5 call (as in the ordinary system)

now there is in the pot 38$ with 6 players, the flop is K,J,2

Now, there are 2 options to show how this system is different from the ordinary system.

The 1st One—all the Game is now Changed

pl. no 3, 4, 8 were betting the pre flop round just to get the share from the pot and now suddenly they increased their chances of winning (in the meantime).

now pl. 3, 4 has a pair, and pl. no 8 has two pairs and he has the best hand (in the meantime) and can bet 100$ for example. now most or all the players will fold because they dont have the best cards (in the meantime), after most of the cards were dealt (5 of 7) they can fold including pl. no6 that now has the 2nd best hand. so, instead of continuing with the turn that will cost pl. no6 100$ lie can fold, so instead pl. no6 take the pot, now it is player no8 who takes the pot.

The 2nd Option—Group Winning and Reduce Loosing

Lets say that after pl.3, 4, 8 called, pl. no6 raised, in the pre flop round, just to get the share from the pot. the bets, after the flop was dealt, were not changed like in the beginning. and although pl. 3, 4, 8 have good cards they folded in the 20$ bet of pl. no6 (as was mentioned), and the game continued like as mentioned above, now the final pot will be 578$ (564 like in the ordinary system plus the additional 14$ accumulated in the pre flop round—6$ from pl. no8, and additional 4$ from each player 3, 4).

from this pot will be reduced 57.8$ for the group share (10%)

now, every player, that called the 6$ bet in the pre flop round get 9.63$ back: 578/10/6 which means that players 3, 4, 8 who didn't continue betting in the flop, turn and river betting rounds, but just sat on the sidelines and watched their share of the pot grow won 3.63$ in this hand (9.63$-6$).

pl. 1, 5 reduced 9.63$ from their losses (the losses have been anyway)

pl. no 6, instead of winning 578$, won 529.83$ (578−57.8+9.63) that is nice pot.

There are, of course, other cases were pl. 3, 4, 8 get less than they bet in the pre flop round, stiil they reduce their loses.

There can be another alternative that pl 1, 5 that continued betting in the further rounds, and lost, can get higher percentage of the pot if they continuing betting in the further rounds.

In this option, as in the second option, above, most of the group, like pl.3, 4, 8 are involved in and excited about the hand (without betting in the further rounds), because they see the pot growing, so that the game becomes group poker rather than individual poker.

The amounts stated above do not include the house commission (“rake”), which can be several percent of the sum, and varies among houses.

The method of the present invention can be applied to many different games, such as the aforementioned Texas Hold'em and Omaha, and other card games including, but not limited to, other stud games, draw poker and Badugi. The method of the present invention can also be applied to other games of chance and to sports betting.

As a further example of the present invention, the following game is considered:

8 players, we refer in this hand to user 1 and see what he sees (except the hole cards)

this is the pre flop round where everybody get 2 hole cards,

user 1 put big blind with 2$, as seen in FIG. 5, and the other players can call the blind, raise or fold (basic game)

3 players including user 1 now remain in the game, user 2 and user 5 called the 2$ big blind. User 9 (the small blind—1$) has folded.

Now the pot has accumulated 6.75$ (7$—house rake), as seen in FIG. 6.

Until this point the game was according to regular Poker rules, now—immediately before the flop, every one of the 3 players sees his own sharing box—in this example 10% for 3 players from the accumulated pot sum—(6.75/10/3=0.225$), no matter what will happened next, the percentage is connected to the flop sum and will continue to accumulate in the further rounds if there will be more bets, (there are another options that will make different percentage sharing in further rounds). Three community cards are now dealt (flop), and a new betting round starts for all 3 players.

User 2 bets $6, user 5 raises $12, user 1 folds, user 2 raises again by $25, and user 5 calls. The pot has accumulated $90 and the sharing box has grown to $3.00 ($90.00/10/3).

Now the fourth community card is dealt (turn), as seen in FIG. 7, with only 2 players left in the hand, but user 1 (who folded) still gets his share of $3.

Now the betting round starts with 2 players (that also have the same sharing box).

User 2 bets $70, and user 5 calls. The pot has now accumulated $230.

At this point user 1, user 2 and user 5 each have a share equal to $7.66 (230/10/3=$7.66).

The fifth community card (river) is now dealt, as seen in FIG. 8.

after the river user 2 and user 5 both check (i.e., no further bets) and the pot remains at $230.

The hole cards of user 2 and user 5 are now revealed, as seen in FIG. 9, and user 2 beats user 5 with a pair of kings. The sharing box for user 1 (and for user 2 and 5) is 7.66$ for each of the players user 1, user 2 and user 5.

now user 2 (the winner) takes 214$ (230−23 (the group sharing))=207$+7.66 (user 2's share)=214$

user 5 saves 7.66$

user 1 receives $7.66 but user 1 actually wins $5.66 (7.66-2 (big blind))=$5.66, as seen in FIG. 10.

As a further example of the present invention, we consider the following game:

6 players, we refer in this hand to user 5 and see what he sees (3, 4)

this is the pre flop round where everybody get 2 hole cards,

user 5 put big blind with 1$, and the other players can call the blind, raise or fold (basic game)

4 players including user 5 now remain in the game. User 8 and user 1 checked the 1$ big blind and user 4 (the small blind—0.5$) called.

Now the pot has accumulated $4, as seen in FIG. 11.

Until this point the game was according to regular Poker rules, now—immediately before the flop, every one of the 4 players sees his own sharing box—in this example 10% for 4 players from the accumulated pot sum (4/10/4=0.1$), no matter what happens next, the percentage is connected to the flop sum and will continue to accumulate in the further rounds if there will be more bets, (optionally, users who participate in later rounds share in an additional percentage). Three community cards are now dealt (flop), as seen in FIG. 12, and a new betting round starts for all 4 players.

User 8 bets $4, user 1 calls, user 4 and user 5 fold, and the pot has accumulated $11.50 ($12 less the house rake), and the sharing box has grown to $0.28 (11.5/10/4-$0.28). Now the fourth community card is dealt (turn), as seen in FIG. 13, with only 2 players left in the hand, but users 4 and 5 (who folded) still get their share, which, so far, is $0.28. Now the betting round starts with 2 players, user 1 and user 8, who see the same sharing box as users 4 and 5.

The pot has now accumulated $21, and the sharing box is now $0.52 (21/10/4=0.52$). Now the fifth community card is dealt (river), as seen in FIG. 14.

After the river the 2 remaining players continued betting and the pot accumulated $36.25. At the showdown, as seen in FIG. 15, user 1 beats user 8 with two pairs and the sharing box for user 5 (and for user 1, user 4 and user 8) is $0.90 for each of the players (36.25/10/4=$0.90).

User 1 wins $33.50, that is, $36.25 less the $3.625 of the group sharing plus user 1's $0.90 share, which comes to $33.50.

user 8 saves 0.90$

user 5 and user 4 save 0.90$ each, as seen in FIG. 16, which means that lost only $0.10 in the hand.

The method of the present invention can be implemented by use of a system such as that illustrated, by way of example only, in the block diagram of FIG. 3. Computer 10 executes machine executable instructions 62 stored in machine readable storage medium 60, such as a hard disk or a flash disk. Machine readable instructions 62 are coded, in accordance with that which is taught in the present invention, such that execution of machine readable instructions 62 by computer 10 is operative to manipulate a display 14 and peripheral devices 16, in accordance with user commands supplied via a user interface 12, to implement the method of the present invention. Computer 10 is operative to be connected to other computers (not shown) via a network interface included among peripheral devices 16 to facilitate play by multiple users.

Many alterations and modifications of the system illustrated in FIG. 3 may be made within the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood that the example of FIG. 3 is presented herein by way of illustration only, and is in no way intended to be considered limiting.

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram of a set of computers 10, such as described above and in FIG. 3, connected, along with a computer designated as a server 44, via a network 46 so as to support a game according to the present invention. For clarity, only the peripherals 16 of each computer 10 are shown, including a network interface 42. In this example, each computer 10 supports one player, and the server 44 is operated by the house. Each respective computer 10 displays private information, such as hole cards, relevant to the corresponding user, but does not display private information relevant to other users, such as hole cards before the showdown.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made. 

1. A gaming method comprising the steps of: (a) players engaging in an early round of wagering in which said players optionally post wagers to a pot; (b) said players who have posted said wagers to said pot during said early round engaging in a subsequent round of wagering in which said players who have posted said wagers to said pot during said early round optionally post further wagers to said pot, and (c) distributing a pre-determined portion of said pot to at least one said player who wagered during said early round.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said wagering takes place in the context of a poker game.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said poker game is selected from the group consisting of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Badugi, Draw Poker and Stud Poker.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein play is on a playing surface including a plurality of player spaces, each respective said player space including a respective table stakes space operative to hold table stakes of a corresponding said player.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said surface further includes at least one community card space operative to hold at least one community card.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said early round of wagering follows dealing of at least one hole card to each said player.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said player is required to post a blind wager.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of. (d) displaying a share of said pre-determined portion to be distributed to a said player.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein said distributing is equally to all said players who wagered during said early round.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said distributing is equally to all said players who wagered during said early round except for a said player who holds a winning hand.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-determined portion only includes a portion of called wagers.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein said distributing of said pre-determined portion is only to said players who wagered in said early round and did not fold in said early round.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-determined portion is at least one fiftieth of said pot and no more than one third of said pot.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein an all-in wager must be of at least a pre-determined minimum value.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-determined portion is determined by a house.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-determined portion is determined by agreement among said players.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-determined portion includes a plurality of respective pre-determined subportions, each said respective pre-determined subportion being associated with a corresponding said early round of wagering, and wherein each said respective pre-determined subportion is distributed to at least one said player who wagered during said corresponding early round.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein play is supported by a plurality of computers communicating via a network.
 19. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, the execution of said machine executable instructions implementing a gaming method, the method comprising the steps of: (a) players engaging in an early round of wagering in which said players optionally post wagers to a pot; (b) said players who have posted said wagers to said pot during said early round engaging in a subsequent round of wagering in which said players who have posted said wagers to said pot during said early round optionally post further wagers to said pot, and (c) distributing a pre-determined portion of said pot to at least one said player who wagered during said early round. 